


Nightmares

by AlexisHuang101



Series: Avengers OneShots [4]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Bruce is scared cause of the Other Guy, F/M, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Just Married, Mentioned!Other Guy, Nightmare starts the argument, Overly-tired pregnant wife finishes it, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Pregnant, argument, request fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-10
Updated: 2013-11-10
Packaged: 2018-01-01 01:39:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1038813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlexisHuang101/pseuds/AlexisHuang101
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em></em>
</p><div class="center">
  <p><br/>The nightmares were getting out of hand.<br/>He no longer slept in their bed.<br/>He no longer talked to her.<br/>The New York Incident was getting to him.<br/>As a psychologist, she knew that he, and the others, all had textbook PTSD.<br/>However, she didn't think it would effect her married life like this. </p>
</div><br/>Half a year into their marriage, and a year after Loki's attack on New York, Jo can't help but notice that her husband has been avoiding her. With their first child on the way, she feels like she needs to put an end to this, before it continues to effect her married life, and her child's life.
            </blockquote>





	Nightmares

**Author's Note:**

> **AN: My cousin is a fan of Mark Ruffalo’s version of the Hulk. So this is a fic for her. It is rather OOC, and a rather bad attempt at a Hurt/Comfort fic, but I gave it my all.**
> 
> **Disclaimer: I only own my writings and A.P.R.I.C.C.O.T, my cousin owns the OC.**
> 
> (A.P.R.I.C.C.O.T stands for Another Pretty Realistic and Intelligent Computer Courtesy Of Tony)   
> 

Quietly, her feet pad across the wooden floorboards, she starts looking for him.

It had been over a year since the New York episode, just under seven months since the Other Guy came out of his hiding place and an even six months since they were married.

Of course, the attack almost fourteen months after the attack, everything on him was a little rough, and Jo knew it. Sleepless nights lead to more attempts to remove the Other Guy from the situation for good.

Jo knew about this, waking up to a cold bed with her alarm blaring was the first clue, but after waking up from nightmares to a cold bed at one o’clock in the morning, that’s when she started to worry. Not that Bruce knew anything about her worries. Jo knows what to hide, and she knew that she had to hide this.

But this was the last straw.

Two weeks ago, he would come to bed, sleep for an hour before waking up in sweat and leaving the room. From those two weeks to today, he hasn’t even bothered going to bed. So, she was going to get to the bottom of the mystery that was her husband’s sleep pattern.

She stops outside their lab, the light blazing through the glass doors.

“A.P.R.I.C.C.O.T, how long has he been in there?”

“Since three this afternoon, Ma’am.” She sighs and thanks the A.I. that Tony created for them as a wedding present.

‘Oh Tony.’ She thinks, remembering when she came home and scream at the male voice ringing through their new home. He laughed so hard when she told him.

Opening the door slightly, she slides in to see a muttering, eye-drooping Bruce over a set of numbers and various equations.

“Bruce, luv.” She murmurs, wrapping her arms around his body as he jolts in shock. “C’mon hun, it’s late.” She slowly starts to tug him away from the desk. Grunting, he pulls his body back into its original position. “Fine.” She huffs, looking over his shoulder. “What are you doing?” She asks, reading the stream of numbers and letters. “Something about the stones?” She blinks before reaching for his glasses, placing them over her eyes. “And gamma radiation? Bruce, luv.”

“This close to solving it.” He murmurs.

“Don’t. Not now, Bruce.” She sighs, giving him back his glasses. “You need sleep.” Grunting, she sighs as she tries to move him again, but to no avail. “Fine, let’s leave here then. Ten hours is too long to spend in the one room.” Grabbing his hand and his notes, she forces him to get out of the chair with little fight and out into the kitchen.

She shoves the jug onto the boiler before sitting down next to him, forcing the papers out of his grip and eyesight before taking his hand in hers. “What’s happening, luv? You haven’t…really…well…been the same since New York, and then, after the visit with Tony…” She trails off and sighs. “Well, I am just a little concerned.” She looks up at his twitching form. “You have PTSD, I can tell. So…” She gets up as the jug switches off. “Tell me what’s happening. Tea?” He nods robotically. She sighs and pours him a cup, passing it over to him before placing some flatbread in the oven. “Hungry.” She mutters as she sits, noticing his look. “Now, Tony called me.” Bruce winces. “You slept during his story-telling time, not that I mind. His story was rather boring. I fell asleep myself.” She smiles at him. “But you haven’t slept at all at home, so I know there is something wrong.” She puts her hand on his arm. “Is it me? Cause I can solve that. If it isn’t, then what is it?”

“Nothing.” He grunts.

She rolls her eyes before getting up to get the bread from the oven and dips from the fridge, shutting the door behind her whilst saying, “Look, luv, there has to be something wrong. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be like this.” Placing everything down, she slowly starts to open the different containers. “Will you sleep if I stay out on the couch?”

“No.” Slowly, she tears a piece of bread and dips it into the dip.

“Then what is it?” She moves to rest her head on his shoulder. “The Other Guy has been pretty much tame after the encounter with the Chitari, and-” He stiffens a slightly when she starts to talk about the Other Guy and a considerable amount when she mentioned the Chitari. “Ah.” She finishes lamely. “Nightmares?” His nod is slight, his grunt is rough, but it confirms her fears. “What happens?”

“It doesn’t matter. It is just a stupid dream.” He murmurs, turning back to his work. Leaning over, Jo grabs the paper and takes it from his sight.

“If you are not sleeping, if nightmares are keeping you up, than it does matter.” She glares at him. “I am a practicing physiologist, as you well know. I can help you with this.”

“This isn’t something you can help.” He hisses.

“How do you know if you’re not going to let me try!” She growls back. “When I married you, I married your problems, just as you married mine. You can put up with my baggage, I can put up with yours. Did I run away when you first turned into the Hulk?” He winces at the memory. “No, yes I have a few scars to prove it, but I formed a new level of trust with him. If it has something to do with the Chitari, then tell me. I was there. I can help.”

“No you can’t!” He stands and starts to shout. “Unless you can enter my mind and take out my fears than you can’t!”

“And what fears would they be, huh?” She stands to look him in the eye. “What would they be?” Her voice lowers to a dangerous tone.

“You nearly died that day! I turned back into this and when I asked where you were, they said in the ER. They said that you ran under a building I collapsed to save a child!” His voice gets louder, cracking every so often with the emotion running through him.

“Bruce,” she sighs before she shakes her head, “you didn’t know I was under there. And that was a year ago, it was fine.”

“No, it wasn’t! I hurt you! How can I protect others if I can’t protect my own wife from myself!” He pounds his hand into the wall in anger.

“Now I know you’re tired if you are destroying the walls.” She jokes quietly before letting out a small sigh of air. “Love, do you remember what you said to me when we first started dating?”

The mumble he makes is barely audible. “Sorry?” She asks.

He clears his throat. “That I was too old for you.” She hums.

“And my response?”

“That age held no limits.” His voice is barely above a whisper.

“And nor does my love for you, or your anger, so it would appear.” She stands to move him from the wall. “Now,” she states calmly as she forces him to sit down before sitting next to him, “hun, what is going on? I don’t need you to protect me; I remember the deal we made seven months ago, when he came out. When you’re doing superhero stuff, I stay at work, at home, or out of your way.”

"I am dangerous for you!" He shouts suddenly, Jo sitting up straight, ready to calm him if necessary. "The New York In-"

"What happened in New York was an _accident_." She glares up at him. "I forgave you long ago, you need to forgive yourself." Picking up the remains of her snack, she moves out of the room.

"Where are you going?" He sighs in defeat as she opens the glass door silently.

"To watch T.V. And then to my cold bed because my idiotic husband thinks that by sleeping next to me, in some magical way, I will get injured." She hisses before the door shuts behind her.

()()()()()

Later that night, as she slips into bed, ignoring the wooden frame's creak in protest of her pregnant weight, Jo tries to sleep off the red-hot anger that she feels pulsing through her veins.

The bed dips next to her as she feels her husband slide in beside her, wrapping his arms around her stretched belly.

"I'm sorry." He whispers.

"I know. I'm sorry I blew it out of proportion." She sighs, content at the sudden contact she was receiving.

"I just want-"

"I know." She interjects. "I married you, knowing that I was marring the Other Guy with you. I accepted that, and no matter what, our child will love you. Green monster and all." She teases. He kisses her back gently.

"I love you."

"I love you too." She responds with a yawn. "Let's see if that'll be enough to keep the nightmares away tonight."


End file.
